The Government Car Service (GCS) is a British organisation that provide safe car service for Ministers of

HM Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal coat of arms of t ...

. GCS was formerly part of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). This was an executive agency of the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

, responsible for providing

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

services to the United Kingdom government and wider public sector.

History

The agency was formed in 1997, when Security Facilities Executive was reformed. The GCDA closed on Sunday 30 September 2012 following discontinuation of its despatch services earlier in the year. All government car services were closed as of that date, with the exception of secure transport for ministers, the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

, former prime ministers and other senior officials, which transferred to the Department for Transport together with the supporting workshop services. GCDA was split into two businesses: Government Car Service and Government Mail. The Government Car Service provides secure cars and drivers to government ministers and ran other people-movement services for the wider public sector. Government Mail (formerly known as the Interdespatch Service) provided inter-departmental mail and package movements, and a secure courier service for the wider public sector. The Government Car Service is responsible for the

Prime Ministerial Car British manufactured cars have always been used as prime ministerial cars by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, prime ministers of the United Kingdom. The cars currently used are armoured, custom bui ...

, which is stored and maintained at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...

, and staffed by the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

References

Sources

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External links

Official website
2012 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct executive agencies of the United Kingdom government Department for Transport Logistics in the United Kingdom {{UK-gov-stub